Euronews

A couple in the Czech Republic say an unidentified man found near death in Norway in December is their son.

The man, who had lost his memory, was dubbed “John Smith”. He had no documents and was badly injured when he was discovered lying in snow in an Oslo street.

Czech police say several family members have recognised him.

“Czech police in this case are cooperating with their Norwegian colleagues, among others, on the analysis of DNA samples – and on the basis of these results we will obtain information on whether this is indeed the right man,” said Czech police spokeswoman Eva Stulikova.

Norwegian detectives have been investigating his claims that he had been robbed and sexually assaulted. He says he has no idea how he ended up in Oslo.

Police in Oslo went public with an appeal this week after months of fruitless searching. They say the man is of European origin, speaks good English with an eastern or central European accent and understands Czech, Slovak, Polish and Russian. He is 187 cm tall, has blue eyes and dark blonde hair.

In an interview reported in Norwegian media, the man gave a cautious response to the Czech couple’s claims, saying he does not want to raise his hopes prematurely in case he turns out not to be their son.